RE: Are Gender Stereotypes Accurate?
Your comments are always welcome and I know you well enough by now to know they're always well-intentioned!
I can't disagree with what you're saying. I'd say what you're saying is true, and what the research says is also true. The problem arises when those who believe in what you're saying start thinking that the people who believe in what I'm saying should be silenced for the sake of the greater good, that sex differences research should not be conducted because it will lead to harm — because if there's one thing the history of science teaches us, is that we're great at predicting the practical outcomes of our research avenues!
Think of it this way: I had no idea gender stereotypes were as accurate as they are. Like most (I assume) people, I kinda defined stereotypes as erroneous. After having done the research, I can't for the life of me explain to you what on earth had led me to believe that people who have innumerable interactions with men and women every single day would have erroneous stereotypes about them. Do we have erroneous stereotypes about the colors of trees? the general shape of a chair? No. So what made me think that our stereotypes about the genders were wildly misleading? Cultural brainwashing is the only answer I can think of, and I don't like that being done to me!
Charm may have allowed Homo sapiens to progress, but science even more so.
In a one-on-one interaction I obviously adapt to the person in front of me. That happens automatically, I don't even need to think about it. I don't know if the narrative that stereotypes make us blind to differences is true. On the contrary, they might make it easier to spot a difference. When I see Dali's Mae West Lips Sofa, I don't immediately reject it because it doesn't look like any other sofa I'd ever seen. I marvel at it. The main reason women who stand out in positive ways are wonderful and appreciated is because most women don't stand out in those ways.
In the next post I answer some of your objections, and I actually use a comment of yours to illustrate cos no one put the point better than you. I might link to your comment here as well!
Hi,
Thanks for that thoughtful response, but as you might have anticipated, I'm not that easily dispatched :)
First I'll start with chairs and trees. While I do believe trees respond to their environment (chairs definitely do not), they are not sentient beings. They do not have the subtlety of intellect that endows humans with individuality. It is this individuality that debunks stereotypes.
Stereotypes are like a plow on a construction site. They're instruments that lump together disparate elements which from a distance appear to be the same, but are really comprised of rocks, dirt, sand, microscopic organisms and even plants. The plow operator is satisfied because the job is done, but is ignorant of the landscape that has been cleared.
As for the Bill Maher clip: The idea of "me too", at first was interesting. It's hard to speak up and accuse, with all the shame and doubt that accompanies that act (believe me). But then the whole thing became hysterical. Where are the rights of the accused? Who is safe in a universe where accusation equals guilt?
I think the 'Me Too' movement got so extreme that it lost its validity. Women (and children) will still be abused in private and their charges will not be believed, in most cases, because that's the way it's always been. And, of course, power prevails.
I won't bring up personal experience, which lends passion to my argument. But be assured that stereotype has rarely worked in my favor, and almost always has been unfair and infuriating.
So, @alexander.alexis, we disagree about stereotypes. They are, in my opinion, not useful in any meaningful way, and they can be quite harmful.
I can't wait to read Part II. :) I'm sure it will be equally interesting and (for me) provocative.
Have a peaceful Sunday.